The Day Tripper - by James Goodhand (Hardcover)

About the Book

"In 1995, Alex Dean has a perfect life ahead of him, but he ends up bruised, bloody, and almost drowned in a river. He awakes to find it is now 2010 or 2015 or 1999, and he must piece his life back together"--

Book Synopsis

"I loved it!"--Shelby Van Pelt, New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures

"An essential, profound read." --The Washington Post

The right guy, the right place, the wrong time.

It's 1995, and Alex Dean has it all: a spot at Cambridge University next year, the love of an amazing woman named Holly and all the time in the world ahead of him. That is until a brutal encounter with a ghost from his past sees him beaten, battered and almost drowning in the Thames.

He wakes the next day to find he's in a messy, derelict room he's never seen before, in grimy clothes he doesn't recognize, with no idea of how he got there. A glimpse in the mirror tells him he's older--much older--and has been living a hard life, his features ravaged by time and poor decisions. He snatches a newspaper and finds it's 2010--fifteen years since the fight.

After finally drifting off to sleep, Alex wakes the following morning to find it's now 2019, another nine years later. But the next day, it's 1999. Never knowing which day is coming, he begins to piece together what happens in his life after that fateful night by the river.

But what exactly is going on? Why does his life look nothing like he thought it would? What about Cambridge, and Holly? In this page-turning adventure, Alex must navigate his way through the years to learn that small actions have untold impact. And that might be all he needs to save the people he loves and, equally importantly, himself.

Review Quotes

"An essential, profound read."
--The Washington Post

"It takes tremendous skill to transform a sci-fi trope into an emotional tear-jerker, which James Goodhand does."
--Shelf Awareness (starred review)

"Witty and wise, The Day Tripper had me pulling for Alex through all of his mixed-up days. James Goodhand brings a fun, fresh voice to the time travel genre in this gem of a novel. I loved it!"
--Shelby Van Pelt, New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures

"The Day Tripper is absolutely astonishing, from first page to last. Warm, clever, hopeful, and superbly written. James Goodhand is a brilliant storyteller at the top of his game. I adored it."
--Stuart Turton, Sunday Times bestselling author of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

"The Day Tripper is a brilliantly-written exploration of the choices we make every day, and how those choices shape the people we become. It blew my mind and broke my heart, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since I finished it!"
--Gareth Brown, author of The Book of Doors

"A page-turner."
--Booklist

"Goodhand's debut is a compelling look at the way decisions, good and bad, build up over time to create a life."
--Library Journal

"A powerful, poignant twist on the time travel story that had me gripped right from the start."
--Bobby Palmer, Sunday Times bestselling author of Isaac and the Egg

"I adored The Day Tripper. Utterly original, moving, and so brilliantly crafted."
--Louisa Reid, author of The Poet

"James Goodhand takes the time-travel genre and reshapes it into something wonderful. A tender, compulsive, miracle of a love story that's stays with you long after the final page is turned. Essential."
--Adam Simcox, author of The Dying Squad Trilogy